Verbena plant named ‘VEAZ0028’

ABSTRACT

A new  Verbena  plant named ‘VEAZ0028’ particularly distinguished by the its earliness to flower and its medium sized inflorescences, large sized flowers that are light blue with a white eye, dark green, undivided leaves, and a first upright and later mounding plant habit.

Latin name of the genus and species of the plant claimed: Verbena hybrida.

Varietal denomination: ‘VEAZ0028’.

BACKGROUND OF THE NEW PLANT

The present invention comprises a new Verbena, botanically known as Verbena hybrida, and hereinafter referred to by the variety name ‘VEAZ0028’.

‘VEAZ0028’ is a product of a planned breeding program. The new cultivar is very early to flower and has medium sized inflorescences, large sized flowers that are light blue with a white eye, dark green, undivided leaves, and a first upright and later mounding plant habit.

‘VEAZ0028’ originated from an open pollination made in July 2009 in a greenhouse in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands.

The female parent was an unpatented proprietary plant designated ‘L0539-4’, having a blue flower color with a white eye and smaller flowers than ‘VEAZ0028’.

The resulting seed was sown in February 2010 in a greenhouse in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands, and ‘VEAZ0028’ was selected as one flowering plant within the progeny of the stated cross in May 2011.

The first act of asexual reproduction of ‘VEAZ0028’ was accomplished when vegetative cuttings were propagated from the initial selection in June 2011 in a greenhouse in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands.

BRIEF SUMMARY OF INVENTION

Horticultural examination of plants grown from cuttings of the plant initiated in the fall of 2011, and continuing thereafter, has demonstrated that the combination of characteristics as herein disclosed for ‘VEAZ0028’ are firmly fixed and are retained through successive generations of asexual reproduction.

‘VEAZ0028’ has not been observed under all possible environmental conditions. The phenotype may vary significantly with variations in environment such as temperature, light intensity, and day length.

‘VEAZ0028’ has not been made publicly available more than one year prior to the filing of this application.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined to be basic characteristics of the new variety. The combination of these characteristics distinguishes this Verbena as a new and distinct variety.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying photographic drawings show typical flower and foliage characteristics of ‘VEAZ0028’ with colors being as true as possible with an illustration of this type.

The photographic drawing in FIG. 1 shows a close view of an inflorescence of the new plant, and in FIG. 2 a whole flowering plant.

The aforementioned photographs were taken in late April 2013 in Andijk, The Netherlands. The plants were about 10 weeks old and were grown in 12 cm pots.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The plant descriptions and measurements were taken in Enkhuizen, The Netherlands on May 27, 2015 indoors in natural light. The plants used were about 10 weeks of age, growing in an 11 cm pot in a greenhouse.

Color references are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart (R.H.S.) 2001.

TABLE 1 DIFFERENCES BETWEEN THE NEW VARIETY ‘VEAZ0028’ AND A MOST SIMILAR VARIETY ‘Duemplavbu’ (U.S. Plant ‘VEAZ0028’ Pat. No 21,638) Flower color: Light blue with Lavender blue white eye Florets: Large Medium Flower size: Larger Smaller

-   Plant:     -   -   Form, growth and habit.—Herbaceous, initially upright, then             outwardly spreading; vigorous and free-branching.         -   Plant height.—19.0 cm.         -   Plant height (inflorescence included).—22.0 cm.         -   Plant width.—46.0 cm. -   Roots:     -   -   Number of days to initiate and produce roots.—10-12 days at             about 22 degrees C.         -   Type.—Fine, fibrous, free branching.         -   Color.—RHS N155D but whiter. -   Foliage:     -   -   Arrangement.—Opposite, simple.         -   Immature, leaf color, upper surface.—RHS 137A.         -   Immature, leaf color, lower surface.—RHS 137C.         -   Mature, leaf color, upper surface.—RHS 137A.         -   Mature, leaf color, lower surface.—RHS 137B.         -   Length.—About 5 cm.         -   Width.—4.0-4.5 cm.         -   Shape.—Ovate.         -   Base shape.—Attenuate.         -   Apex shape.—Acute.         -   Margin.—Dentate.         -   Texture, upper surface.—Hirsute.         -   Texture, lower surface.—Hirsute.         -   Color of veins, upper surface.—RHS N138A.         -   Color of veins, lower surface.—RHS N138B.         -   Pattern of veining.—Pinnate.         -   Petiole color.—RHS N138A.         -   Petiole length.—1.3 cm.         -   Petiole width.—0.4 cm.         -   Texture.—Heavily pillose. -   Stem:     -   -   Branching characteristics.—First upright, later spreading.         -   Quantity of main branches per plant.—About 24.         -   Color of stem.—RHS N138B, greener.         -   Stem length.—About 24-32 cm.         -   Stem width.—About 0.3 cm.         -   Length of internodes.—3.5-6.5 cm.         -   Texture.—Hirsute.         -   Color of peduncle.—RHS N138B.         -   Length of peduncle.—2-3 cm.         -   Peduncle diameter.—0.2 cm.         -   Texture.—Canescent. -   Inflorescence:     -   -   Type.—Umbel-like, but actually a spike, umbrella-shaped,             large.         -   Blooming habit.—Flowers continuously through the summer             months.         -   Lastingness of individual blooms on the plant.—About 6 days             in the greenhouse.         -   Fragrance.—No fragrance.         -   Number of inflorescences per plant.—45 to 65 at various             stages.         -   Horizontal diameter of inflorescence.—About 6.5 cm.         -   Depth of inflorescence.—4.5-5.0 cm.         -   Number of florets per inflorescence (including any buds at             the time).—28-34. -   Bud (just when opening/showing color):     -   -   Color.—RHS 124A.         -   Length.—0.4 cm.         -   Width.—0.3 cm.         -   Shape.—Tubular with a bulbous end. -   Floret:     -   -   Form.—Sessile; salver-shape, composed of 5 partly fused             petals with a base of a narrow tube.         -   Immature color, upper surface.—RHS 113B.         -   Immature color, lower surface.—RHS 113B.         -   Mature color, upper surface.—RHS 113B with an eye 155D,             whiter.         -   Size of the eye.—0.4 mm.         -   Mature color, lower surface.—RHS 113C.         -   Floret diameter.—3.2-3.9 cm.         -   Floret length (depth).—2.1-2.3 cm.         -   Petal length.—1.5 cm.         -   Petal width.—1.2 cm.         -   Shape.—Attenuate.         -   Apex shape.—Emarginate.         -   Margin.—Entire.         -   Petal texture, upper surface.—Papillose; glabrous.         -   Petal texture, lower surface.—Papillose.         -   Corolla tube length.—1.6 cm.         -   Corolla tube width.—0.3 cm.         -   Corolla tube color inside.—RHS 144D.         -   Tube color outside.—RHS 145D.         -   Corolla texture, inside.—Papillose, short hair.         -   Corolla texture, outside.—Glabrous.         -   Throat hair color.—RHS 155C. -   Calyx:     -   -   Type.—Five sepals whose margins are fused to each other             along their length, with a transparent membrane of less than             0.1 cm in width and with one smaller sepal attached to the             base of the calyx.         -   Color of sepals.—RHS 145B.         -   Length of sepals.—1.3 cm.         -   Width of sepals.—0.2 cm.         -   Sepal shape.—Linear, but fused.         -   Apex shape.—Acute.         -   Margins.—Entire.         -   Texture.—Densely covered with short hair and many glandular             hairs. -   Reproductive organs:     -   -   Gynoecium.—         -   Pistil.—1.         -   Pistil length.—1.3 cm.         -   Style color.—RHS N144D.         -   Style length.—1.3 cm.         -   Stigma color.—RHS 144B.         -   Ovary color.—RHS 144B.         -   Ovary length.—0.28 cm.         -   Ovary width.—0.12 cm.         -   Androecium.—         -   Stamens.—Anthers and filaments fused to upper half of             corolla tube; four anthers with two pollen sacs per anther.         -   Color of filaments.—RHS N144C.         -   Filament length.—0.2 cm.         -   Anther color.—RHS N144D.         -   Anther length.—0.16 cm.         -   Pollen amount.—None observed. -   Fertility/seed set: Neither seed nor fruit production has been     observed. -   Disease/pest resistance: Resistance to pathogens and pests common to     Verbena has not been observed. 

What is claimed is:
 1. A new and distinct variety of Verbena plant named ‘VEAZ0028’ substantially as illustrated and described herein. 